


Late Night Confessionals: Sanji

by DragonPrincess18



Series: The Dragon That Will Pierce The Heavens [4]
Category: Fairy Tail, One Piece
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26621161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonPrincess18/pseuds/DragonPrincess18
Summary: Nights aboard the Going Merry are not always peaceful, but the crew is lucky enough to have someone to help combat the memories.This time, it's Sanji who receives some peace of mind.
Series: The Dragon That Will Pierce The Heavens [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727794
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Late Night Confessionals: Sanji

Even years after the fact, Sanji was still haunted by memories. 

There were times he would settle into a seat and feel the weight of an iron mask, or be taking a step across the deck and feel the bone-deep pang of long-unsatisfied hunger, and the sudden reminder would hang over his head for the entire day. 

Sanji would never let that affect his cooking, or his lavish treatment of the ladies, but such things took so much more effort on days like that, few as they were aboard the Going Merry. 

This was one of those nights when the ghosts refused to let him sleep, the snores of his bunkmates not enough to drown out the echoing loneliness,  _ not yet _ , and so the cook was in his kitchen, cleaning the countertops for the third time and debating on if he should mop the floors again. 

“Sanji?” 

He froze, caught between trying to hide and wanting to spin with joy, as Hikari blinked quickly in the unexpected light. 

“What’re you doing?” She yawned out, sleep-rumpled in a pair of thick, soft black-and-white flannel pajama pants and a loose t-shirt, bare feet tapping gently on the floorboards as she stepped fully inside. 

“Ah, Hikari-hime! I’m...just cleaning up to start prep for breakfast.” 

Honey-dark eyes focused on him then, intense as a low-banked fire, and Sanji would have waxed poetic about how beautiful they were if it did not feel like she was peeling back all the layers of his skin to see the dark secrets inside. 

“...Sit.” 

“But-” 

“ _ Sit _ .” 

That tone- _ usually reserved for when Luffy was being a bit too careless, that very firm Mom Voice that even made Nami straighten her spine _ -had the blonde sitting at the table before he even had a chance to think on it, almost dazed as Hikari took the sponge and spray from his hands while passing by. 

Once those were put away under the sink, she grabbed a saucepan and gathered ingredients, moving about the galley with a familiarity that eased tension out of Sanji’s shoulders while he watched. 

Semi-sweet chocolate chips, hidden away in a false cabinet to keep Luffy from snacking on them, melted gently as she stirred in sugar, salt and water, humming softly while measuring out milk and cream, finishing with a dash of vanilla extract before pouring into two large mugs. 

Sanji came back to himself when one was placed before him, followed by a bag of miniature marshmallows and a bottle of whiskey, blinking at the pinkette now sitting beside him. 

With a quirked brow, she grabbed a handful of marshmallows and sat back, adding them one by one to her steaming drink and watching them slowly melt together. 

Releasing a slow breath, Sanji lifted the mug to take a sip, the rich taste gliding down like silk to radiate that warm sweetness from his belly. 

The silence was...comfortable, not so much expectant as patient, and a content sigh passed his lips, elbows resting on the table. 

“...My family doesn’t approve of me being a chef.” 

Hikari’s gaze lifted from her hot chocolate, quiet, and the words just tumbled out into the space between them. 

“Actually, they never approved of me at all...I wasn’t what my father wanted, not like my brothers. He’d rather I be dead than be his son.” 

Something passed behind her eyes, but Sanji was too focused on his mug to notice. 

“When I ran away...That’s when I met the old geezer. He was raiding the ship I was working on, and when it went down in a sudden storm...We got washed up on a rock for eighty-five days, with barely any food. The old geezer didn’t say, but he gave it all to me and ate his leg instead.” 

The memory put a sour taste in his mouth, and he took a large gulp to wash it away. 

“When we were saved, he took me with to start the Baratie. I owe him my life...my dream...but I still…” 

_ But I still remember those days in a cell, wearing that mask, starving on that rock, and wonder why he never loved me _ . 

A soft touch pulled Sanji’s attention to the present, blinking owlishly as Hikari squeezed his hand gently between hers, eyes clear as the ocean on a calm day and reflecting his pain. 

“I know I don’t say this, because you really do annoy me most of the time...but you’re  _ amazing _ . You’re kind, and strong, and somehow manage to keep up with Luffy’s blackhole of a stomach, which is enough of a miracle for me to believe in a god.” 

That last one startled a shaky laugh out of the blonde, and a smile started pulling at Hikari’s mouth. 

“They were too stupid to appreciate you, and that’s their loss. You’ve got us now, and if they want to say anything about it, we’ll make them regret it.” 

Lower lip trembling, Sanji collapsed forward into her arms, unable to keep the tremble from permeating his bones. 

Hikari was a steady support, helping hold him together, and he curled into the soft vanilla-and-cinnamon sweetness of her hair to drown out the darkness. 

Just for right now, it would be okay to let a lady take care of him instead.


End file.
